The invention relates to a sanitary water valve in the form of a single shut-off valve or a mixing valve with one or several operating handles, particularly a single-lever mixing valve with water passages in the form of water inlets and at least one water outlet or waterspout, and with a valve body for receiving the control elements which, in particular, are united within a cartridge as a constructional unit, with the inlet tubes that form the water inlets being connected to the cartridge via an insert piece arranged adjacent to the cartridge.
Because of the good processability and machinability, the relatively high strength, and the excellent corrosion resistance, sanitary combination sets for the inlet of cold, warm, and mixed water, are predominantly manufactured of copper-zinc alloys, also known under the name brass, to which lead is added as a further alloy component as a chip-breaking admixture for improving the chip removing processing. It is known and proven by scientific research that heavy metals getting into the human body can cause major permanent diseases.
Investigations have furthermore shown that particles of heavy metals, mainly lead, of water-leading pipes and combination sets made out of alloys containing lead, are received by the passing fresh water and, thus, are conveyed to the human organism via the drinking water. Because of the dangers in connection therewith, advances are made in some countries to prevent the application of sanitary combination sets of the so far used copper-zinc alloys containing lead. In some countries, therefore, sanitary combination sets of brass and other alloys that contain lead are undesirable if there is a danger that heavy metals, like lead, can be picked up by the water because of the contact of the water leading parts of a combination set with the passing water.
Apart from the common brass combination sets, sanitary combination sets are already suggested, the water-leading parts and functioning elements of which are essentially manufactured of materials non-hazardous to health. These developed combination sets, for example, pillar mixers, comprise an insert piece of a brass alloy into which the inlet pipes manufactured of copper for the cold and warm water, and, if applicable, an outlet pipe of copper, are pressure-tightly inserted. The cartridge made of plastic for the quantity and temperature control of the water is pressure-tightly stress-connected with this insert piece by anchor bolts, if applicable with an in-line arrangement of further functional groups. With these developed sanitary combination sets, the areas in which the water can come into contact with the constructional groups manufactured of a brass alloy, are greatly reduced. The reception of alloy particles hazardous to health by the water is, thus, indeed limited. Despite the wide-ranged securing of a high water quality, contact areas remain in the insert piece consisting of a copper-zinc alloy, in the area of the locations of contact of the pressure-tightly inserted inlet and, if applicable, outlet pipes for the cold, warm, and mixed water; in the contact areas, alloy particles hazardous to health can be picked up by the water. Although comparatively extremely low proportional quantities are involved, they can be detected with highly modern analytical measuring instruments and may possibly lead to detrimental consequences for the manufacturer.
It is an object of the invention to entirely eliminate the locations of contact between the water and the members consisting of a brass alloy and to create a sanitary combination set that is entirely "lead-free".